1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a cover to open and close an opening that is formed in a side wall of a main body, wherein when the cover is in an open position, ejected sheets of paper can be stacked on the opened cover.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional image forming apparatus known in the art includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet of paper (recording sheet), a rear cover configured to open and close an opening formed in a rear wall of the main body, and a guide member arranged between the image forming unit and the opening and configured to guide the recording sheet ejected from the image forming unit to a sheet output tray formed on an upper surface of the main body. In this image forming apparatus, a lower end of the guide member is pivotally supported on the main body, and an upper end of the guide member is connected to the rear cover.
According to this conventional image forming apparatus, when the rear cover is tilted back, the guide member connected to the rear cover is also tilted back to form a part of a tray. Therefore, the recording sheet ejected from the image forming unit can be output through the opening onto the rear cover when the rear cover is in the tilted-back position.
However, in this conventional image forming apparatus, when the rear cover is in the tilted-back position, a gap is formed between the rear cover and the upper end of the guide member and a recording sheet ejected onto the rear cover may disadvantageously goes into the image forming unit. Further, if a recording sheet goes into the image forming unit from the gap and gets jammed between the rear cover and the guide member, it is difficult to fix a paper jam because the upper end of the guide member is connected to the rear cover. In other words, a trouble about a paper jam between the rear cover and the guide member may not be overcome by the conventional image forming apparatus.
In view of the above, the present invention seeks to provide an image forming apparatus, which can overcome a trouble about a paper jam between the rear cover and the guide member at the tilted-back position of the rear cover.